Line #140 Characters/Eyeshield21BandoSpiders


1	[[center: [-[[Characters/{{Eyeshield 21}} Main Character Index]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21DeimonDevilBats Deimon Devil Bats]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21OjoWhiteKnights Ojo White Knights]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21ShinryujiNaga Shinryuji Naga]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21SeibuWildGunmen Seibu Wild Gunmen]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21TaiyoSphinx Taiyo Sphinx]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21NASAAliens NASA Aliens]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21KyoshinPoseidons Kyoshin Poseidon]] \| '''Bando Spiders''' \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21HakushuDinosaurs Hakushu Dinosaurs]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21TeikokuAlexanders Teikoku Alexanders]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21ThePentagram The Pentagram]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21CollegeAndSemiProFootballTeams College and Semi-Pro Football Teams]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21OtherFootballPlayers Other Football Players]] \| [[Characters/Eyeshield21OtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]-]
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3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder:General]]
6	Once the best team in Tokyo after the White Knights, the Spiders were the runners-up in the previous year's Tokyo Tournament, narrowly losing to the Knights in a 7-6 game (and it should be recalled that no other team in Tokyo was able to score '''any''' point against the White Knights in that year). [[spoiler: When the [[ChekhovsGunman Teikoku Highschool]] of Kansai recruited away most of the team's best players, the Spiders were left struggling to rebuild, with only Tight End Hayato Akaba and ace Kicker Kotaro Sasaki remaining from their original lineup]].
7	----
8	* AnimalMotifs: Guess. No point for getting the right answer.
9	* CherryTapping: A field goal is only worth 3 points, as opposed to a touchdown's 6 points. Despite this, Bando managed to win some of their games by a wide margin because of performing an endless cycle of field goals through repeated possession of the ball via onside kicks.
10	* ClimaxBoss: Of the Tokyo Tournament Arc. They were the last team that the Devil Bats faced, and the one the Bats absolutely ''had'' to beat to make it to the Kanto Regional.
11	* CombinationAttack: Downplayed since it only relied on two players. Their Spider's Web tactic revolved around using repeated onside kicks and Akaba's invincible lead blocking to pull an endless cycle of "Onside kick, Akaba gets the ball, Kotaro kicks to score."
12	* CripplingOverspecialization: And not even a good one, while their kick game is good enough to score against Ojou they still lose at a point race. Akaba, being the tight end, is the only player versatile enough to help in case their kick game fails and he was benched for most of the tournament. Their first win shown was a one point difference made at the last second against a mediocre team. Justified as [[spoiler: all the other players who weren't part of the kick team was recruited by Teikoku]].
13	* FreudianTrio:
14	** '''Id''': Kotaro, who's emotional and often [[HotBlooded impulsive]].
15	** '''Superego''': Akaba, the most [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analytic]] of the three.
16	** '''Ego''': Julie, who [[TeamMom kept the peace]] between the two.
17	* HeroOfAnotherStory: Downplayed, but the story of how the Spiders managed to make it to the Tokyo Tournament's semi-finals, despite Akaba being benched and the lack of any top player other than Kotaro would probably make for an interesting story.
18	* {{Large Ham}}s: It seems that one must be this trope to be admitted to the Bando Highschool, if the behavior of Akaba and Kotaro plus the fact that individual students had ''theme songs composed for them'' were any indication.
19	* {{Leitmotif}}: InUniverse, the principal composes theme song for individual students as their year book entry.
20	* LongRangeFighter: The Spiders can be considered as this because of their reliance on field goals. Notably, while other teams would only rely on pass plays until they can get close enough to the endzone, Bando only needed to reach kicking range (for Kotaro, that's about a maximum of 55 yards), score the field goal, and because of their repeated onside kicks, start the process all over again.
21	* PlanetOfHats: According to extra materials, Bando Highschool’s year book is a CD theme song composed by the principal and most of its graduates are expected to enter music industry. The school’s uniform is something one would usually see in disco club, and some random students seen during Kotaro’s flashback resembled punk rock stars.
22	* SignatureMove: All the players knew how to use the Spider Poison.
23	* StealthPun: The Spiders relied on kicking. They're all ''legs''.
24	** “Bando” is how the Japanese phonetically spells “band”. Which makes sense given the musical theme the school have.
25	* UnderdogsNeverLose: Not in the Tokyo Tournament, anyway. With Akaba benched and Kotaro the only star player they had left, the Bando Spiders still succeeded to plow their way through a succession of higher-ranked teams before running up against the White Knights, and even there they're the first team to score on the Knights in the tournament. By the time of the Devil Bats' match against them, Akaba could play again so the Spiders lost the underdog status.
26	* WeakButSkilled: Bando's lack of offensive and defensive firepower is offset by the fact that they are a very skilled kick team, thanks mostly to Akaba's tactics and Kotaro's accuracy. Case in point, they were the '''only''' team who was able to score against the Ojo White Knights during the tournament.
27	* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Since [[spoiler: their offensive and defensive teams got recruited by the Teikoku Highschool]], the Spiders only had a kick team left. Thus, the sole way they could score was through field goals. They're insanely good at it.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Hayato Akaba (赤羽隼人)]]
31	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akaba.jpg]]
32	->''"It's getting interesting. You are "Eyeshield 21" too? Kobayakawa Sena."''
33
34
35	The [[TheAce MVP]] of the Tokyo Tournament the year prior, Akaba was the ace player of the Bando Spiders. He's famous for his skills as a lead blocker, charging in front of his team's running backs and wide receivers to open the paths for them. Combining his speed and the "Spider Poison" technique, Akaba was nigh unstoppable on the field. He was introduced at the end of the Devil Bats vs Wild Gunmen match, where the Spiders were shown to be the Bats' next opponents. He instantly formed a rivalry with Sena, and called himself the Real "Eyeshield 21". [[spoiler: During the Devil Bats vs Spiders match, however, it was revealed that "Eyeshield 21" was in truth an honorary title given to top running backs in Notre Dame, rather than the name of a specific player. When the Devil Bats defeated the Spiders, Akaba handed his blue eyeshield to Sena, and admitted that the latter had more rights to be called "Eyeshield 21" than he was]].
36
37	* Position: Tight End / Fullback
38	* Jersey: 21; [[spoiler:20 during pre-Christmas Bowl all-stars coaching; 22 during World Cup.]]
39	* 40-yard Dash: Unknown
40	* Bench Press: Unknown
41	* Nickname: The Real Eyeshield 21, The Magician Lead Blocker
42	----
43	* AcademicAthlete: Implied, since he got into [[spoiler: the Saikyodai University, which was implied to be a very good college]].
44	* TheAce: The Spiders' best player and last year's Tokyo MVP. He's arguably the best tight end in the series.
45	* AnimalMotifs: Spider.
46	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Hiruma's only rival in this area. Akaba's '''Spider Poison''' was a technique that allowed him to send ''Kurita'' flying. All it took was that Akaba had analyzed the motions of ''every opposing player'' and shoved the latter at the precise moment he shifts his center of gravity. An extra material revealed that Akaba analyzed even more data than ''Hiruma''.
47	* BadassBookworm: After leaving the Alexanders, Akaba spent almost an entire season being the technical advisor to his team, developing the "Spider Poison", which he taught to ''nearly every player of his team'', turning the Spiders from a mediocre team to a powerhouse. The badass part? Well, he can stop [[MightyGlacier Kurita]] short ''single-handed'' by using his superior technique.
48	* BashBrothers: With Kotaro. [[SitcomArchNemesis Kind of]].
49	* BenchedHero: Since Akaba returned to the Spiders from the [[ChekhovsGunman Teikoku Alexanders]] in the middle of the football season, he had to be sidelined as part of the tournament's rules. The only game he had ever played in the tournament was the Devil Bats vs Spiders match.
50	* TheChessmaster: Akaba developed an almost unstoppable tactic named the '''Spider's Web'''. It involved using Kotaro's ridiculously precise kicks and Akaba's invincible lead blocking[[note]]Since Akaba didn't play for most of the tournament, the linemen had to perform this task. Akaba taught his linemen his signature technique in order to successfully pull this off[[/note]] to pull an endless cycle of onside kicks and the Spiders getting the ball. On defense, he also had a tactic called the '''Run Force''', where he placed his team's players in specific locations to manipulate where the opposing ball carrier would run to, only to be stopped dead by him.
51	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Sometimes. Most notable when he's asked to predict the outcome of the Kanto Tournament. [[spoiler:[[TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight However, he was the only predictor who knows that Hakushu Dinosaurs needs not to be underestimated]].]]
52	* ColorMotifs: ''Red''.
53	* TheComicallySerious: He liked to strike corny rock star poses for no reason other than RuleOfCool while keeping his typical stoic expression. He also tended to make rather ridiculous music metaphors with a straight face.
54	--> '''Akaba''' ([[TheStoic Stoic]]): I don't really understand, but... I feel that I've been likened to something ''amazing''.
55	--> '''Juri''': What's with that super-real feeling?
56	--> '''Kotaro''': More importantly, what's the ''guitar'' have to do with it?
57	* CoolShades: Akaba was rarely seen without his blue shades. He also wore a blue eyeshield during the Devil Bats vs Spiders match. [[spoiler: In the manga, he gave it to Sena when the Devil Bats won]].
58	* CurbStompBattle: Spent much of the Devil Bats vs Spiders game inflicting this on Sena and Taki. He also had a brief moment crushing Hiruma when the latter acted as Sena's lead blocker.
59	* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red eyes and red hair, though the red eyes were actually contact lenses.
60	* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:He even handed his blue eyeshield to Sena]].
61	* GeniusBruiser: The reason why Hiruma finds him troublesome, even if he is outwitted Akaba is also above average in physical prowess so he can power through Hiruma's schemes if needed to.
62	* TheHero: To the Spiders.
63	* IconicItem: His guitar.
64	* ImplacableMan: Akaba wasn't as powerful as the likes of Shin and [[spoiler: Yamato]]. But with his "Spider Poison", he's just as unstoppable. Not even the Ha-ha Brothers ganging up on Akaba could stop him, for instance.
65	* JackOfAllStats: Naturally came with being a tight end.
66	** FragileSpeedster: Or this, as Akaba seemed somewhat frail when compared to, say, Shin.
67	* LargeHam: Despite his reserved personality, he is '''every bit''' [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-154/page010.html as dramatic as Kotaro]].
68	* TheLeader: A level-headed type to the Spiders, with some mastermind thrown in for good measure.
69	* {{Leitmotif}}: A rare in-universe example. Since the Bando Highschool had a strange policy of composing theme songs for individual students, Akaba got a song called "Red Spider".
70	* MeaningfulName: "Aka" literally means '''red'''. Kotaro referred to Akaba as "Aka-baka", which means ''red idiot''.
71	* TheMentor: Akaba served as this to Taki [[spoiler: right before the [[FinalBattle Christmas Bowl]]]]. He even somehow managed to teach the Spider Poison to [[TheDitz the latter]].
72	* NoodleIncident: In a way. Since Akaba was an ace player and had spent some time in the Teikoku Alexanders, it is quite reasonable to assume that [[spoiler: he had met [[FinalBoss Takeru Yamato]], the original Eyeshield 21, which was also hinted at by the fact that, according to an extra material, Yamato was one of the most "musically fit" persons to Akaba]]. However, this was never elaborated upon.
73	** A slightly funny example is [[spoiler: how he was able to coach [[TheDitz Taki]] for the Christmas Bowl. He was even able to teach him the Spider Poison.]]
74	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Juri brings this up about him and Kotaro.
75	--> '''Juri''': You two are actually similar in a way...
76	* OddFriendship: Briefly formed one with [[{{Keet}} Mizumachi]] halfway through the Devil Bats vs White Knights game. He also shares one with [[spoiler: Taki when he was mentoring the latter because the two of them are shown to be the pair that got along the best.]]
77	* PrettyBoy: Pretty enough to be noticed by Jari Productions. Akaba was the straightest example in the series other than Kisaragi, as he didn't have the masculine physique of Kakei.
78	* TheRealRemingtonSteele: [[spoiler: Subverted. Akaba wasn't ''the'' Eyeshield 21 Kakei had met. Played straight in the anime, however, as it was produced before Yamato was introduced in the manga.]]
79	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted and then parodied. When the Devil Bats first encountered Akaba, he came off as rather frightening, but he's actually a pretty nice (and funny) guy. In an extra material, it's revealed that those red eyes were just contacts.
80	* RedHerring: No pun intended. At first, he was built up to be the real “Eyeshield 21”. But halfway through the Deimon-Bando match, he revealed that he’s just another man who claimed to be “Eyeshield 21” starting from this year.
81	* RedOniBlueOni: The blue (ironically) to [[HotBlooded Kotaro]]'s red.
82	* RockersSmashGuitars: PlayedForLaughs when the Kanto players gathered to play baseball at Tokyo Dome.
83	* SeriousBusiness: Maybe not as much as Kotaro did, but Akaba still treated kicking as this. He even cried TearsOfJoy alongside Kotaro when [[spoiler: Musashi, a kicker, got MVP votes in the World Cup's final]].
84	* SignatureMove: '''The Spider Poison''': a blocking technique that takes advantage of proper timing and analysis in order to topple an opposing defender by applying force at the moment the defender shifts their center of gravity. With this, Akaba was able to take down blockers bigger than him and by teaching this technique to his linemen, they were able to buy enough time for Kotaro to make long field goals or easily recover the ball after an onside kick as most of the other team's players would be lying on their backs. Akaba, however, can execute his Spider Poison even against moving opponents (as opposed to the variant he taught to the Bando linemen, where they have to be locked with the opponent) and can even do it using only one hand, thus also making it an effective tackling technique.
85	* SitcomArchNemesis: To [[http://read.mangashare.com/Eyeshield-21/chapter-159/page009.html Kotaro]].
86	* TheSmartGuy: Akaba served as this to the Spiders, and perhaps to [[spoiler: the Saikyodai Wizards]] as well, given that he had been known to analyze data even more intensively than ''Hiruma'' did.
87	* TheStoic: To the point that Kotaro and Juri were shocked when Akaba chuckled.
88	* SugarAndIcePersonality: Despite Akaba's detached attitude, it's evident that he cared about his team.
89	* VerbalTic: He tended to begin his sentences with ''"Fuu..."''
90	* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Kotaro just couldn't stand each other, but this didn't stop them from deeply respecting and trusting each other when it came to football.
91	* WeakButSkilled: While Akaba was not as muscular as the likes of Shin or Agon, he could still send ''Kurita'' flying with sheer technique.
92	* WhenHeSmiles: Akaba smiled '''very''' faintly when [[spoiler: he acknowledged Sena]]. It surprises Kotaro and Julie as he rarely laughs or smile.
93	* WorthyOpponent: One of Sena's many.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Kotaro Sasaki]]
97	[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kotaro_Sasaki_3144.jpg]]
98
99	The ace kicker for the the Bando Spiders said to have a success rate of 100%. Declared himself Musashi's rival even before actually meeting him due to his (false) reputation as the "60-yeard Magnum". Takes kicking very seriously and wants to prove that it's every bit as important as offense and defense in football. Is perpetually combing his hair back.
100
101	* Position: Kicker
102	* Jersey: 99
103	* 40-yard dash: 5.5 seconds
104	* Bench Press: 65 kg
105	* Birthday: November 30th
106	* Blood Type: B
107	* 2nd Year Student (Grade 11)
108	----
109	* TheAce: Akaba gets all the attention, but Kotaro is every bit as important to the Spider's success as he is, and is the one who gets them through most of the Fall Tournament.
110	* AssKickingPose: Even when there's no ass-kicking to be done.
111	* BashBrothers: With Akaba. [[SitcomArchNemesis Kind of]].
112	* BookDumb: He’s only knowledgeable about kicks and American Football, and not much else. [[spoiler:He’s in Enma for good reasons.]]
113	* CatchPhrase: Uses "smart" as an adjective for anything good and "not smart" for anything bad. Changed to "cool" in the American manga release.
114	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Kotaro's a goof, but he's also the only player in Tokyo to have scored any points against Ojo's so-called "Golden Generation", landing two field goals for a score of 7 to 6. He also carries his team through the following year's Tokyo Tournament while Akaba is benched, scoring almost all of their points for them, and even managing to score a field goal against this year's Ojo - explicitly stated to be even stronger than last year's team - for a 10-3 game (although Hiruma mentioned the White Knights let him score as part of their tactic to win), despite the fact that this year's Spiders are made almost entirely of second-stringers.
115	* FatalFlaw: According to Musashi, Kotaro placed too much trust on his teammates that he can get shaken up when they’re taken down, which can cause his kick to miss.
116	* GratuitousEnglish: His “smart” CatchPhrase is spoken in English in the Japanese version.
117	* HotBlooded: Lets his emotions get the better of him constantly.
118	* IconicItem: His flipping comb.
119	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Can make a kick-in even during a typhoon.
120	* LargeHam: Feels the need to accompany anything he says or does with a dramatic pose. Once called a time-out in the middle of a game JUST to explain his team's tragic back story.
121	* {{Leitmotif}}: Like Akaba, he also received one due to Bando Highschool’s strange policy. His is called “Kick Shock”.
122	* ManlyTears: Shed this when [[spoiler: the Spiders lost to the Devil Bats]].
123	* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Akaba's blue.
124	* {{Revenge}}: His other motivation to win the Christmas Bowl is to teach the Spiders’ offense and defense players, who mocked the kick team and abandoned them for Teikoku Alexanders, that kick is just as important as offense and defense.
125	* SeriousBusiness: Kicking is ''very'' serious business for him.
126	* SitcomArchNemesis: To Akaba.
127	* TrainingFromHell: In order to make Bando the ultimate kick team, Kotaro subjected himself to this. This is how he can score points even during very adverse weather conditions, such as a typhoon.
128	* UnknownRival: Although it's not that Musashi doesn't know about him as much as he doesn't care.
129	* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Akaba can't stand each other. They also respect and trust each other, when it comes to football.
130	* WeakButSkilled: Musashi has more raw power, but Kotaro's kicks land with perfect precision, even in adverse weather condition.
131	* WorthyOpponent: Sees Musashi as this.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Juri "Julie" Sawai]]
135	[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Juri_Sawai_Julie_6235.jpg]]
136
137	The manager of the Bando spiders and the one usually responsible for keeping the peace between [[SitcomArchNemesis Akaba and Kotaro]].
138
139	Position: Manager
140	----
141	* CoolShades: Is never seen without wearing her round shades.
142	* CuteSportsClubManager: Kotaro asks her out almost every week since they met.
143	* DeadpanSnarker: Often does this whenever Akaba or Kotaro say/do something crazy or wacky.
144	* TheHeart: Tries to keep the bickering between the aces to regular level.
145	* OnlySaneWoman: Given that the team's aces are both such {{large ham}}s.
146	* TheStraightMan: Her normal-ness stands in stark contrast to Akaba and Kotaro.
147	* TeamMom: Constantly seen keeping peace between [[SitcomArchNemesis Akaba and Kotaro]].
148	* {{Tsundere}}: According to the bonus material, while she calls Kotaro an idiot, she's never outright rejected his romantic advances.

Context Characters / Eyeshield21BandoSpiders